Stay
by Natasha Vera
Summary: STAR WARS: RISE OF SKYWALKER SPOILERS! I didn't like the ending, so I fixed it.


Stay

Ben slapped his hand against the edge of the rock, pulling himself further from the sheer drop Palpatine sought to discard him over. "Rise up" He heard them say. "Rise up with the strength of a Jedi."

He couldn't ignore them. Not now. Not these voices. Ben grunted, and hoisted himself over the edge, dirt and grime greeting him as he stumbled onto terra firma. He panted, spent from the draining that was his life force. That was when he saw her. That beautiful, slender figure encasing the greatest Jedi he had ever known… collapsed upon the dirt and rock. He clamoured forward, his legs screaming fatigue and strain, searching the Force for her.

She wasn't there. Normally a beacon of pure light, Rey wasn't there anymore. She had faded into the unknowable realm.

Ben stumbled to her, seizing her lifeless body. No! The thought and pressed her to his chest. No! No! Stay! Stay…

He let her fall. Her eyes, those warm eyes stared at the cavernous ceiling with nothing left inside of them. None of the light that called to him in his nightmares, no, dreams, remained in her. She had given everything she had. His heart shuddered, and he could feel his tears begin to slide down his cheeks. No, he wouldn't let this happen to her! He couldn't have destroyed her! No!

He rested a hand on her stomach, calling to his memory what she had done to him merely hours before. He closed his eyes, seizing the Force like a child climbing into a tree. Begging, willing his life force to pass into her. Please, the thought, Please, my life for hers. I've done nothing but destroy but Rey… Rey!

His eyes shot open, and he looked down to what had touched him. Her hand had moved, her fingers curling around his.

She shifted in his arms, her hand clasping his. He gasped, and turned to her face. She blinked, and looked up at him, recognition touching first her smile! Oh, her smile! She knew in whose arms she was being supported! She knew what he had done for her, there was no question about it! She smiled!

He wanted to say something. Wanted to tell her how much he loved her! How happy he was, finally, to have her in his arms! But she lifted her hand, and cupped his face. Goodness her eyes were so warm he could feel that heat surging through him. She seized the back of his neck and pulled his face towards hers.

Time absolutely stopped.

He adjusted his grip on her body, and opened his mouth to welcome her more. Gods! If he could live in a single moment for the rest of his life, it could have been this one!

They pulled away, smiles blooming where kisses had been planted. And he laughed! Ben, former Supreme Leader of the First Order, First Knight of the Knights of Ren, laughed!

But… he felt it the moment her face changed from joyous to horrified.

"Ben!" She cried the moment his back hit the dirt behind him. "Ben! No!"

So, he had traded his life, he realized, feeling her hands on him.

"Stay with me!" She cried, tears colouring her eyes. "Ben, please!"

The Force surged through her fingers, gripping his spirit (if it could be called that) for a brief moment. "Please Ben!" She whimpered. "Don't leave me alone!"

Stay… the word echoed in his mind. His father was waiting for him as was his mother. They had always been waiting for him. Could they wait a bit longer?

SWSWSW

The celebrations were deafening if one listened to it for too long. Finn wove his way through the landing pilots and dancing Rebels, his ears drowning in their celebration. They had won! They had truly won!

So, where was she? The fighting had ceased, there wasn't a secret mission to attend to. And yet Rey…

He looked around. Jhanna had made her way to Lando Calarissian, her impish grins on full display before the old general. Poe rushed up to him and gave him his usual clap hands and pull into a bear hug, his jubilant words clashing with the noise around them.

"Where's Rey?"

The question brought their faces full around, though Poe's eyes still wandered, looking for the powerful maiden who could kick his ass or tell a funny joke at the drop of a hat.

"I don't know," Finn muttered, his words bringing Poe full around. "You haven't heard from her?"

"Nah," Poe told him. "If anything, she would have called you."

Finn swallowed, calculations on where he could get a refuelled ship coming to mind.

"Give it some time," Poe told him quickly. "She could just be recouping somewhere."

"Copy that," Finn nodded, half of himself accepting this as a legit possibility.

He made his way to the funerary corner, the place where General Leia laid in state, the jubilations dimming for only a moment. Of course a sheet had been given to cover her body, but she was left there so that the Resistance could bid her their final farewells. The moment he turned the corner, he gasped and his heart skipped not one, but several beats.

Instead of Leia upon the funeral bed, Kylo Ren and Rey rested upon it… but not really? He shook his head, and mashed the heel of his palm into his eyes. His physical eyes saw a bed with a sheet draped over it. But… in his mind's eye, he saw Kylo Ren and Rey, panting and sweating, blood smeared over various parts of their bodies and they were exhausted, lying almost on top of each other. Rey was curved into his body, her fingers dug into Kylo's loose shirt. She had been crying. She always cried when it came to Kylo Ren.

At first, Finn wanted to shoot him. Hell, he had rocks all around him, one of them would work! But, whatever it was that was showing him this tableau, called to him. He inhaled, feeling the softness of knowledge that he hadn't been privy to that led up to this scene wash over him, highlighting key points. Kylo's armour, his mask, and his lightsabre. They were gone. The way he turned to Rey, and smiled! His smile was weird to say the least, this coming from the Terror of the Galaxy, the almost Emperor, the murderer of thousands! His smile was genuine. His joy, pure. Rey whispered to him, her head resting upon his shoulder, her body in absolute surrender to him.

Seeing her in this manner struck Finn like a falling rock. This, was what she had wanted. This man, this choice. Poe had tried to annoy her into affection, Finn to needle his way with kindness and love. But it was all for nothing because this guy, this person whom he had never seen before, had barely even heard of, had everything she wanted.

"Rey," Finn breathed.

She looked up suddenly from Ben's chest. She was exhausted, her entire body showed that, and her forehead was smeared with blood. But she searched for him, her eyes moving until they locked onto his, and her face morphed into familiar ease.

"Finn," Her voice was an ethereal whisper that came from inside his head and out of his ears.

"No," He pleaded, though he knew his words would fall on deaf ears and it wasn't due to the distance. "Rey please."

She looked him up and down, her face changing to one of sadness. She had made up her mind. "I'll always love you, Finn."

Where could they go? Finn's mind demanded even when his lips could do nothing but gape at her. Where could _he_ go? He hadn't taken off his mask to very many people. But there were enough in the Resistance who knew what Kylo Ren really looked like, let alone how many could identify Rey herself. The sounds of the rebels were celebrating now, but given the chance, just one chance to have them all get hold of her bed mate and those celebratory war hoops would turn to bays for blood. The question then becoming if they would want Rey's as well for choosing him.

Ben, the Force identified him as Ben, turned to where she was looking. At once, Finn set his jaw and reached for his blaster. But the emotion passed like the shadow of a bird flying overhead. He was different, somehow. Finn could feel it. Ben nodded to him, an acknowledgement. "I'll take care of her."

Those weren't just words. Finn felt them sink into his chest like a blaster shot. He would give his life for her. The moment he could stand, he would do everything to protect and care for Rey.

Rey shifted suddenly, her eyes searching for him. "Finn?"

"Rey, I'm right here!" Finn called. But, she mustn't have heard him.

Ben sat up, and rested his hand on the on the one she had on his chest, (one with a smudge where a ring should go, Finn noticed), calling her attention with a gentle breath of her name. She turned back to him, her face melting into an emotion Finn had never seen but had long fantasized about. She leaned forward the same time Ben did, their lips meeting in a clash of absolute love and comfort that Finn felt it to his boots.

They couldn't come home. Finn knew that the moment he tasted the tears in the back of his throat. So long as the Resistance had memory of that dark figure and crimson lightsabre, they couldn't return.

"Stay…" He breathed, even as the image faded from his mind, leaving him to descend to his knees, shoulders shivering.

SWSWSW

Rey inhaled and leaned back into Ben's chest, one long arm readjusting his grip on her waist, the other clicking what buttons she hadn't as she fired up the X-Wing. It was really cramped with the two of them sharing the pilot's seat, but what else were they going to do? He was cool to the touch. That was one thing she hadn't expected when she touched him as intimately as she could now. She grinned at the thought of a personal cooler against her own searing hot skin. How she would have loved to have cuddled him on Jakku!

Rey grabbed the steering thrusters and lifted them into space, pushing them through the atmosphere into the stars.

"Where are we going?" Ben asked, his deep voice filling the cabin.

She turned back to him, her smile blossoming as she did so. "Where do you want to go?" She asked, though she knew the answer was futile. He would go anywhere she would, no questions asked.

He studied her face, eyes lingering longest on her lips, before answering, "The island." His eyes met hers, "The one where you found Luke."

"You want to go there?" She grinned.

He nodded. "I need to learn again. I need to re-learn what it means to walk in the light."

Rey's heart somersaulted and her smile hurt her cheeks. "I'll show you," She promised. "We'll learn together."

She lifted her hand and shot the Force to the settings on the control panel, the coordinates jumping to life on the screens. The moment the thrusters slid back to launch them into hyperspace, Rey leaned into Ben, his lips catching hers.

The moment their lips touched, they saw it. That dampened island inhabited by Porgs and lifeforms designated to keeping the former Jedi temple ready for the next batch of students. The swirling oceans, the restless winds. Ben tilted his head, encouraging Rey to kiss him more, to run her fingers into his hair. The huts made of stone, designed to keep out the wind. Luke had made his home in one of them. They could live there.

Stay… together.


End file.
